A nuclear accident ravages a small town outside of Chicago, resulting in a government quarantine isolating it from the rest of the world. A generation later, with the quarantine still in place, strange mutations have affected the minds of the town's children -- mutations which could either spell the next stage in human evolution, or something far more sinister. As the children's psychic powers begin to manifest themselves in more demented and destructive forms, the kids escape their compound. Now it is up to Shandy Johnson and her friends to track down the runaways. Possessing similar powers, Sandy and her friends find themselves facing increasingly frightening confrontations with their escaped peers. First published in 1964 and again in 1978, Sunburst has lost neither its edge nor its relevance. Predating the near-misses and disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, Gotlieb reminds us of the tremendous forces we have at our fingertips -- powers that humans use daily but do not fully comprehend.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Phyllis Gotlieb is the author of nine acclaimed novels, four volumes of poetry and two short story collections, as well as five verse plays. She is a Governor General's award nominee and her work has been translated into six languages. In 1982 Gotlieb received the Aurora award from the Canadian science fiction community. Her work has inspired one of science fiction's most prestigious awards, the Sunburst Award, in honour of her landmark novel of the same name. Gotlieb currently lives in Toronto, Canada.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mostly conventional, occasionally quite god...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Sunburst (Paperback)
In most respects, "Sunburst" is a very conventional book. Some years after a nuclear explosion, children with "psi"-extraordinary mental powers, such as group telepathy or telekinesis-have appeared in the town of Sorrel Park. Far from being super-geniuses or transcendental life-forms, for the most part these children have serious mental or physical problems: one is a dwarf, another is retarded, a third is a psychopath . . . but they're incredibly powerful, and have had to be restrained in a kind of detention facility known as "the Dump," hence the name "Dumplings" for the psionic children. The story begins when a thirteen-year-old girl named Shandy Johnson meets a young man with psi-one of the few stable human beings with the talent-and becomes drawn into the world of the Dumplings, who are growing increasingly more restless and violent, pushing the boundaries of their strange abilities until something, somewhere, has to snap. It's not a bad set-up. It even allows for the development of some very interesting characters, both outside the Dump and within it, and contains a very good twist ending. Still, the theme of mutant-children-on-the-loose has been done so many times that, even despite strong characters and an unconventional approach to the idea of psi, much of the book feels cliché. Certain passages sound too familiar; the narrative seems to lack Gotlieb's rich, gritty poetic style. Occasionally the reader catches glimpses-there are some very good passages-but too much of the novel feels undifferentiated. Anybody could have written the story.Most of Phyllis Gotlieb's novels take place in the same unnamed future universe, inhabited by the Galactic Federation and such races as the Ungrukh, the Khagodi, and the occasional Solthree. It's hard to tell whether "Sunburst" fits into this chronology; published in 1964 and now out of print, it seems pretty much unrelated. The story takes place entirely on Earth, in Sorrel Park itself, with only one hint of spaceflight and even that is vague. Gotlieb's later novels use the word "esp" to describe the extranormal mental abilities common to many of her characters; here, strong psi is the result of a mutation, something that seems equated with the various deformities that result in children born after a nuclear meltdown. The only common link is the term "Imper"-Impervious-used in her later science fiction to describe a person whose mind cannot be penetrated by telepathy: Shandy is an Imper. Possibly "Sunburst" can be seen as a very early chapter in this future history, possibly not. In any case, "Sunburst" is definitely not her best novel. Having read her later stories, I was somewhat disappointed by both the style and the plot; I was expecting something more fantastic, more original. That's harsh: this is an early novel and I should be glad she later became as good a writer as she is-but from reading "Sunburst," I would not have been able to predict Gotlieb's later skill. Those looking for a good read will find it in "Sunburst." Those looking for a great read should try her more recent works, such as "A Judgement of Dragons" or "Flesh and Gold." This tale of mutants, normals, and Shandy Johnson's thirteenth birthday is original enough to be enjoyable, straightforward and unspectacular: a small sunburst. But as sunbursts go, an okay one.
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